


Dragon Ball Files

by devinprater



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2020-05-31 18:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19431421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devinprater/pseuds/devinprater
Summary: A more realistic take on Dragon Ball Z. Goku is an American born in Japan, who has a dream of a battle years ago which shows him usage of a powerful force. He must now transition from a normal high schooler to a hero, or something. The world doesn't want a hero. Goku will either rise above them all, to lead them to better lives, or fall along with them into darkness. All this, along with the victor of that battle from his dreams, and more, he must endure.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all. This is my first fix on here, and just about my first fit ever, so I hope I'm doing this right. I am a blind person, so my visual descriptions may be rather bland, and I'm hoping that most of you know what the main characters of DBZ look like.

## Chapter One

Goku found himself on another world. This wasn’t the usual dream chaos, but felt more real, as if he were still awake worrying about school, instead of fast asleep. Still, the area was filled with a sort of haze like a dream, fog like that of an old video game he’d once played on a PS2 emulator. “Ah well” he thought, realizing that he could think freely in this dream, “might as well observe.”

Two armored people, one looking more like a lizard than a person, and the other with a tail like Goku had once, stood facing each other. He couldn’t quite understand what they were saying; he thought he could almost parse the meaning of a word or two, but by the looks of it they were about to have a little fight, right in his dream.

Goku pictured a command prompt in his mind as they spoke, the thought of parsing their speech making him giggle softly.

“Vi Mortos hodiaŭ, tirano: command not found.”

The person that looked more like Goku began to yell, sounding more like he was trying to dislodge a particular massive load of excrement than anything. This made Goku laugh even more, but he stopped when light began to surround the person, whose hair stood up on end. The area became clear of the dream-like haze, and Goku could see that the person was a man, a man that looked uncannily like him. “Perhaps this is my father?” Goku thought. “Grandpa said I am an orphan. Could this be the past? But then, what world is this? It doesn’t look like Earth from here.”

The lizard man began to emit light as well, his light eclipsing the man—his father’s. Goku suspected that this is how he became an orphan. These men and that light. “Can they control it?” he wondered.

“Ho, Ni vidos, kiu eskapos viva ĉi tiu mondo, simio,” the lizard yelled back.

“Simio? Did that lizard call… what looks to be my Dad… a monkey?” Goku looked at the man’s tail, then the lizard, and shook his head.

“Lizard should look at himself before calling others animals,” Goku thought.

The two men dashed at each other, fists first, bodies enveloped by light. Goku’s father punched first, but the lizard didn’t move. He looked to be smiling, or smirking. The man with the tail actually flew backward, under his volition, and stopped in midair yards away from the lizard.

“Friezer!” the man shouted.

At least, that’s what Goku heard. “If that thing wasn’t so strong, the name would be laughable,” Goku thought.

The man’s light brightened, and leaves blackened before Goku’s eyes before floating up, orbiting the man as if he were a small star. A dagger made of the light formed in the man’s outstretched hands, and shot towards the lizard.

The lizard, apparently called Friezer, lazily stretched out his hand and caught the dagger, and threw it back at the man. Goku’s father’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the dagger, but he was too slow to catch it with his hands. Its flight was true, and disappeared into the man’s throat: through the light, through the armor, through the skin. Goku watched his father die, the lizard laughing hysterically yards away, theatrically wiping his clawed hands on his armor. Goku’s father looked up for the last time in this world and took a deep, labored breath, holding it for a moment, seeming to hold in the smell of his world, then let his light, as well as his life, leave his body.

* * *

The smell of Bacon resolved itself as Goku awoke. He had a fleeting thought that that’s how a world on fire smells as it burns, but he laughed that off quietly, smiling at the thought. His memories of the dream lingered in his mind, but soon his memories of life overtook them for the moment. His travel from Japan to America, the destruction of his old house and the forest around it, waking up without that tail he seemed to have been born with, meeting that rich kid Bolma, and, with some alarm, the assignment due today at school.

“Now, where was that bacon coming from?” he thought, licking his dry lips, tasting the morning breath on his tongue. He got dressed in his school uniform, ate the breakfast his Grandpa had prepared for him, said his good-byes to the old man, and left for school.

Along the way, he remembered the dream—the light, the power—and wondered if he, too, could wield such power. He walked along the sidewalk through his neighborhood, watching cars go by, birds in the trees, fellow students passing him in groups, yelling to each other, feet away, about some new VR game, the latest iPhone, and sharing answers to today’s assignment over what looked like Airdrop.

“Wow, they know how to do that? Ah, where there’s a will, there’s sometimes a way,” he thought, chuckling to himself.

He waited until they were yards away, far enough so as not to see him, then experimentally flexed his muscles. No light, no power, no ability to fry the world in bacon. He sighed, a little frustrated, and kept walking onward to school.

He caught up with the others, a mile or so away from the school. They noticed him, and immediately swarmed him.

“Oh, look who decided to grace us with his presence,” they jeered.

“The moral guy, the high and mighty one.”

Goku sighed, looking for a way out. He was tired of these kids, always wanting the answers to assignments, always wanting help, and never giving anything back. They were true vampires, sucking on the hard won success of others, and putting to shame those who they couldn’t suck the life from. Or, maybe they were right. Perhaps he was just a goody two-shoes.

“So, what’s it gonna be, Goku,” Their leader, the tallest, most skinny boy in the group said, mocking him, shocking him out of his thoughts.

“Give us that assignment, or we’ll teach you a lesson ourselves. We’ve waited long enough for you to straighten up and treat us with respect.”

“Please, just leave me alone for once,” Goku said quietly.

He didn’t want to fight these people, especially remembering the dream, his father, what he could be, what he could do to these poor fools.

“For once? Ah, well then help us out, for once. We all win, and we won’t bother you again,” the leader—Goku couldn’t remember the kid’s name—said, crossing his long arms in front of him, leaning forwards slightly to look down at Goku.

Goku stepped back, bumping into a kid behind him. The kid pushed him forward, and Goku felt annoyed. He turned to face the kid, not really seeing them, and pushed back. The kid stumbled and fell, and the leader was on Goku in an instant.

“Oh, so now you wanna fight, huh? I can teach you that lesson too,” the leader smirked, and rammed his fist into Goku’s stomach.

“Just let me go to school in peace!”

Goku grabbed the boy’s hand, his ears, head, face, arms, legs burning gently, as if his whole body knew some one was talking about him. The kid’s fingers broke under Goku’s lite grasp, the bones cracking, splintering, crunching. Goku felt them break, like brittle sticks beneath his feet. The leader’s eyes rolled back into his head, as the rest of him fell limply to the hard pavement.

Goku let go of the lump of flesh and broken bone that once was a hand, a hand whose owner was intent on breaking his own bones. He thought about simply leaving the fool there, just walking away. But then, the kid would go tell the school’s security officer, or the nurse, or the principle, and that’d be the end of Goku for a good five years or more. He was still angry, could still feel the warmth of the light, the protective light, the dangerous light. But perhaps it could be used to heal as well?

Goku grabbed the hand again, and the leader screamed in anguish. He looked around, but all of the other kids must have ran off. When they ran, he didn’t remember. He tried to cool his anger, dim the light a little, make the light more soothing. For a moment, he couldn’t, and the light continued to burn against the boy, but then he thought of that scream, that pain, and soon felt more human, more sorrowful for what he’d done.

He tried to will the light to mend, instead of destroy. It didn’t want to. He felt that his blood was made to kill, that his DNA was constructed upon the bones of slaughtered enemies, and was in no hurry to change. But, begrudgingly, as if for a dying kinsman, the light set to work, reconstructing bone and tissue, routing blood according to the boy’s genetic instruction. Soon, the hand looked good as new, and the boy relaxed into sleep.

Goku stood up, now feeling weak and dizzy from such exertion, and walked the rest of the way to school, the light dimming and finally winking out as his anger faded into the normality of every other morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. Sorry its been so long, I'm getting into the hang of my new (first) job, and getting my new (first) place, so yeah. But I have this next chapter for you all, and the one after that. :) I hope you all enjoy.

## Chapter Two

Goku sat in class, listening to the teacher teach, this one about American history. Goku wasn’t all that interested in dates and battle names and presidents and wars. He knew, though, that history was made up of people, ideas, plans, and lives. The teacher had a lesson plan to serve, he knew. 

The government had cracked down on opinions decades before he was born, he’d read, to combat fake news and Republican ideas, so school is only facts now. No stories of people, no life or excitement, just event details in chronological order. 

Goku sighed slowly, quietly as to not make students think something was wrong with him. He didn’t need to be put on false suicide watch. He looked across at the teacher, who stood at the front of the room near the door. She was an older woman, with kind eyes and a muscular frame. He recalled that teachers are trained to protect their students, and could call reinforcements at the press of a button or the speaking of a phrase. 

He looked up as he heard loud, running footsteps outside. The teacher moved in front of the door, assuming a defensive stance quickly. Goku had seen this a few times, usually when students were unusually late for class. He wondered if he could duplicate that stance. The classroom door swung open, and the leader of that freeloading group ran into the room. The teacher put a hand out to stop the tardy student. 

“Sorry Miss Eastwood,” he panted. “I didn’t mean to be so late.” 

“Tom, you aren’t usually this late. May I ask why you are so late today?” 

Tom looked up, fixing his eyes on Miss Eastwood, Goku thought, so he wouldn’t have to look at him. 

“I got tired on the way here, I walk to school, and decided to rest for a minute.” He sighed loudly, hanging his head. “That rest turned into a rather long nap.” 

Miss Eastwood faced away from the class, her hand over her mouth. When she turned back a few moments later, she looked more composed and serious. 

“Okay Tom. I’ll have to count you absent, since this period is almost over, but try to get better rest at night, so you have more energy in the mornings.” 

“Okay, thanks Miss Eastwood,” Tom said, walking to his seat near the back of the room. 

Goku didn’t look at Tom, and Tom didn’t look at Goku. 

“Tom probably thinks its a dream,” Goku thought. “It almost feels like that to me as well, but now that power, that light, will not leave me, now that I know it’s there.” 

Goku could feel the light, as if he were on a boat on the ocean. He could feel what seemed to be endless depths of if, like the gentle waves of a low tide. But, just like an ocean, he felt that it could be used for complete desolation if he willed it. 

Goku jumped a little when the bell rang. He felt little sparks of light leave him, flying in different directions. A few students who were hit looked around, murmuring about wasps. Goku sighed in relief, but inwardly decided that he would need to get control of this power, and fast. There wasn’t much of a decision to make, either he didn’t, and risk getting angry and burning the world, or control it and maybe even put it to use for something worthwhile. 

* * *

Goku walked out of his last class for the day, school iPad in its case hanging from his shoulder. He thought about what teachers said about physical books; students had to carry books with them, in bags, everywhere in school. He thought of the horror stories of students with back problems because of all those books, hefting his light iPad in the air with one hand. 

“Well, students would have had great exercise,” he thought. 

He walked out of the school building, back onto the sidewalk through town. He stopped to rest a little after Physical education class, where he did intense exercises alone. He looked around himself, spotting the trees in the front lawn of the school yard, cars driving bye, a huge girl in an electric wheelchair, speeding towards one of the local Chinese buffets, a tall, muscular guy running after her, and a blind girl walking towards him with earbuds in, and her phone held in one hand, her stick—a cane, Goku swiftly corrected himself—sweeping, from side to side, in the other. 

Goku’s eyes focused on the girl, swiftly calculating that, yes, she would run straight into him if he didn’t move. Seconds before her cane would touch him, he quickly stepped out of her way, and she continued walking, murmuring “sorry” in his direction. He watched her walk away, as she kept to the right side of the sidewalk, her cane sweeping from the grass to her right, to the sidewalk still on her left. She soon came to a street, waited for traffic to pass, and crossed it successfully, and was soon out of his sight. 

Satisfied that he’d done his good deed for the day, he walked home, a spring in his step from the feeling of goodness welling up inside him. He thought about the light, and the good it could do. He thought about all the violence in the world, the intolerance, the hate even in his country. But that feeling soon faded into fatalism. 

“And what do you think you can do,” he thought, scolding himself. “You’re just a boy with big, useless dreams. You want to end up like your father? He had this power and look what happened to him? He fought some animal and lost.” 

Goku took a deep breath, as if it were his last, grimacing in despair, and let the breath out in a rush, trying to throw those emotions of unworthiness away with the fair spring wind. 

“And what good could I do,” he wondered. “I would just become like them, powerful and greedy and hateful.” 

He let his shoulders slump, defeated by those arguments. Besides, who was _he_ to change things? How would one foolish boy with big, useless dreams change anything? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

# Chapter 3

Goku’s home wasn’t fancy. Neither he nor his grandpa needed a large house. The living room greeted Goku as he stepped into the house, the kitchen to the left, his grandpa’s room ahead, and his room to the right. A door leading out to the back of the house stood on the far wall of the kitchen, and a forest lay yards behind the house. 

Goku headed for the forest, needing to survey the light which he could now wield. He remembered its feeling, the strength it provided, and the consequence of its usage. He recalled the destruction of his father’s world, and the crumpling of the boy’s hand. 

Then the thoughts of worthlessness attacked. He almost felt scorn at himself for even trying to refine this power, that surely he could do nothing worthwhile with them, that they could only destroy, that he’d be just like Freezer. 

With a sardonic smile, he turned to leave the forest. He felt justified in the fact that some other person could wield this thing better than he could. 

“Let some one else deal with the evils of the world. Let some one else clear the path for goodness. Why should I care? I’m just some kid who apparently has come from another planet out there. Should I care?” 

Goku was walking back to his house, when he saw a tree. It was a large tree, an old tree, and birds rested in its branches. Goku stopped and looked up at the stately tree, standing proud. A breeze rustled the branches, yet the tree didn’t move. The sun shown upon the tree, and not even its leaves withered, but grew stronger because of the sun. And the birds sang in the tree, glad to have a home in it. 

Goku looked upon that tree, and his courage returned. He banished the doubts, and they fled from his assurance. He surveyed the tree again, committing it to memory, so that when the fear returned, he could rejoice with the birds in it. Goku felt wisdom in this, and told himself to explore the meaning later. For now, though, there was power to explore. Goku walked back to a sparse part of the forest, but he could still look back and see that tree—it really was large. He nodded to himself. That large tree would help him get back home. 

He started by sitting down, his legs crossed. He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, so he simply sat, and observed his surroundings. In a matter of minutes, he noticed that he could almost feel living things around him. A fly flew nearby, grass was flattened beneath and around him. Plants sprang up in the Spring. 

He focused on a plant near him, and tried to query what he could do with it. A thought came back to him, forming into two symbols: plus, and minus. Shuddering at the idea of taking away, he decided to try giving to it. He gave a little, and felt a little dimmer. He realized that if he took, he took from surrounding life, and if he gave, he gave from himself. 

All this made sense to Goku. He wondered, then, if he could increase his own maximum power, without needing to take from other life. He decided, then, that that would be what he’d strive for, unless it was completely necessary to take others’ life. 

Goku practiced with his own light, bringing it out so that it surrounded him, making it into a ball of power. He didn’t need to attack anything with it, as he knew its devastating power. He threw it, and caught it, surprised that it did not hurt him. 

Soon, though, he was tired. He didn’t remember when sweat began pouring down his face, but there it was. He didn’t remember when he began to breathe heavily, but so he was. So, he turned around, and headed back home, passing the tree and surveying it again, but not having much energy to marvel at it as he did before. He entered the house, then, and sat heavily on the couch in the living room. 

Gohan was there, reading the daily newspaper. He looked up when Goku sat next to him. 

“Goku,” he said, shocked at how tired Goku was. “Why are you so tired? You look like you’ve ran a few miles out there in the forest, yet you were only gone half an hour.” 

“Sorry Grandpa,” Goku said. “I was training.” Gohan perked up even more at that. 

“Training? You’ve never shown interest in that before. What’s sparked your interest now?” 

Goku sighed, and told his grandpa about the dream, including, to his best ability, the exact words that the two beings had used. 

“Then, today,” Goku concluded, “I used that light on accident against that kid that always gets his work from other students. So, I went into the woods to try to learn to control that power.” 

Gohan sat for a long while, silent. He fidgeted with the newspaper, rolling and unrolling it. After a moment more of this, he spoke. 

“Goku, I haven’t trained with some one for many years, so I may not be of much help. But, I will try to show you how to fight, then I will show you something more.” 

* * *

Gohan didn’t want to do this, not now. He didn’t think his boy would ever get this far. He wanted to protect the boy from whatever had happened to lead him here, but no such luck. He leaned forward and pressed down on the table to help him stand, then lead the boy out to the woods. 

“Now, my boy,” Gohan said solemnly. He sighed deeply before continuing. “Let’s begin with the basics.” 

Gohan thought back to his first lesson with his old master, then started from there. Goku picked up on things quickly. His stance because that of an unsure, but gifted fighter. His first punch was hesitant, but good all the same. He apologized profusely afterwords, as gohan did after his own first punch, but Gohan pulled himself from the ground and brushed off Goku’s apology with the dust from his clothes. 

Gohan soon came to the last lesson. He blinked in surprise. 

“Goku, I’m not sure how you’ve done it, but you’ve sped through all other basic lessons, and this is the last one. That power you spoke of, only rare people can use it, and only after a lifetime of doing nothing but observing, and only then for a moment.” 

Goku nodded, and gohan continued. 

“In Japanese, it is called Ki. Of course, Westerners have never experienced it, so they just call it ‘the power within’.” 

Gohan laughed lightly at this, almost smirking at his knowledge over the more powerful Americans on whose land he begrudgingly calls home. 

“Grandpa,” Goku asked. “Didn’t you say that only few can use this?” 

Gohan nodded. 

“Then, why does our ancestors hold so tightly to it, and look down on others for not having used it?” 

Gohan’s smile turned into a small frown. 

“Well, I don’t know that. I suppose we should be more humble. But an honorable people must uphold themselves.” 

Goku nooded, and seemed to concentrate for a moment before his body was surrounded by light. Gohan blinked several times to make sure his old eyes hadn’t just failed. But no, Goku had indeed just whipped out the Ki like he’d done it all his life. And now Goku was hovering in the… No, Gohan had fallen to his knees. 

“Get up, Grandpa.” Goku’s voice was absolute, so Gohan stood. 

Goku shook his head, and the light was gone. Gohan stood dumbfounded, staring at his grandson who had, for a moment, become legend. 

“Sorry Grandpa, I didn’t know it would have such effect on people.” 

“It is fine, my boy. You have, then, surpassed anything I could teach you. Now, then, how will you use this power?” 

Goku squared his shoulders, and gohan feared he would be struck down for daring to ask such a question. But Goku did not attack, but seemed to be wrestling with his own fears. 

“I will use this light to serve the Light,” Goku said boldly. “No matter what doubts I have,” he said, in a smaller voice. 

Gohan nodded appreciatively. 

“Then, son, let me show you something. I never thought I would need to show anyone, least of all you. I wanted to protect you from this, but you say you will serve this Light, and who am I to deny it.” 

Goku stood for a moment, probably processing all this, then said suddenly, “Him, grandpa. The Light is a Him.” 

“Ah, well if there is a male god of the sun now, then who am I to argue with your knowledge,” Ghan said, smiling widely at his boy. 

Gohan had never heard of this male sun god, but if Amaterasu wasn’t the only goddess, then why couldn’t there be more than one being of the sun? He’d simply have to pray to this new god at some point. For now, though, he’d be content to just leg Goku serve whatever god this is. 

* * *

Goku walked with his grandpa to whatever he wanted to show him. Goku pondered all that he’d learned so far. He was born with the ability to learn how to fight quickly, could use power that few have ever even touched, and somehow, the Light, the origin of the power he used, was a He. He still didn’t know where that thought came from, but he decided to stow that away, where the significance of the tree still waited to be extracted. 

“Gohan,” Goku asked. “Have you ever used light?” 

Gohan paused, Goku walking a step ahead and turning to face his grandpa. 

“No, I’ve never used it. You are the first that I’ve seen use this ‘light’. Master Roshi, my master, used Ki, but I’m not sure if they’re the same thing now. You say that your light comes from this Light man, but Ki comes from everything, indeed, is everything.” At this, Gohan sighed. “At least, this is what I was taught by my master. 

Goku took all this in, thought a moment, and remembered how it felt to notice all that surrounded him. 

“I can take from things as well, but can also give. I also have my own light that I can use.” 

Gohan tilted his head in thought. 

“I have heard that Ki can also be given, and that everything has its own Ki, but not much. My boy, did you take light from others when you showed me it earlier?” 

“No, Grandpa. I vowed to never take another’s light unless absolutely necessary.” 

“Good boy. See that your ‘necessary’ never becomes any less than it is now. But tell me, if this light inhabits everyone, but also is from this source Light, how is both true?” 

“Sorry Grandpa. I’m just now sorting all this our myself. It seems like the Light shines on everything, and that’s how everything gets its light.” 

“I see. That sounds fair to me. But remember too, that what is given, can also be taken away.” 

Goku nodded, realizing that what his grandpa had said was true. He shivered at this. 

“But what would that mean, Grandpa. Being without the light?” 

“That depends on what the light gives. If peace, then there would be war without it. If food, there would be starvation without it. If life, there would be death without it.” 

Goku had a sudden idea. “If goodness, there would be unfettered hatred without it,” he finished. 

* * *

Gohan nodded, and shivered too. He remembered the 2016 election, and the hate that caused. He remembered the 2020 election, and the hatred had boiled over into anarchy. Goku may have read about it, but Gohan remembered the absolute hatred between the two parties. If one were Republican, the Democrats would hunt you down and beat you for the mere reason of your political choice. If you were Democrat, Republicans would look deep into your past and throw any sin in your face while the world watched, and sneer at you as they wash their hands of your ruined reputation. 

They arrived at a hole in the ground. More specifically, it was a crater. Gohan told his boy to follow him in. With some trouble, Gohan managed to climb into the hole. He remembered when he first dug it, years and years ago, to keep what it contained from prying eyes, like the aggressive government of his new homeland. But now, it was time for it to be uncovered again, finally to be known and used. 

They stood in the crater, facing a small metallic thing. It was a rounded dome, with no seams or openings. Goku stepped towards it, curiously bending down for a closer look. Gohan watched as the door he’d seen Goku first crawl out of, finally open again for him. 

* * *

Goku jumped when his Grandpa put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Easy Goku, its just me. Before you go in, I want to tell you of how I first found you.” 

Goku turned to his grandpa, a quizzical look in his face. 

“Okay, Grandpa, tell me.” 

“I found you first right here, crawling out of this thing. I call it a space pod, because it reminds me of some old show I watched when I was around your age. Anyways, I found you there, and helped you out. You were a strong toddler, and even managed to break a few bones of mine once. But I knew you would grow up to be my boy, my only boy, so I raised you like that. I had to discipline you many times, and you cursed me in your language, but I persisted, and it paid off.” 

“So, I really am an alien?” Goku grinned a little. 

“Yes, my boy, you are. Now, get in there and take me to your leader, or whatever that thing will do,” Gohan smiled jokingly at Goku, who laughed and turned to face the machine. 

Goku crawled into the machine, much as he thought he’d crawled out of it. The thing was tiny, made for a baby after all, he guessed. He froze as an idea hit him. What people would send a baby to a foreign world? 

The machine began to play some recording, or speak some file. It first spoke in that strange language he’d heard his father and Freezer speak, but then started speaking English. 

“Scanning of linguistic environment successful. Disengaging radio wave detector equipment. Analysis complete. I am now speaking in common English, of the Western United States dialect. Do you understand, Kakarot?” 

“Kakarot?” Goku asked. “I don’t know who Kakarot is.” 

The computer answered, “You are Kakarot, son of Bardock.” 

“Ah, so that’s who my father is. Can you tell me about him?” 

“He is a Saiyan warrior, third class as defined by the social order, currently dead, killed by the Arcosian prince known by outsiders as Freezer.” 

“Tell me about the social order,” Goku demanded. 

“The first of the order is the King, Vegeta, who is dead, killed by the Arcosian prince aliased Freezer. Second is the Prince, Vegeta, who is currently alive, employed by the arcosian prince aliased Freezer, along with the generals directly employed by Vegeta. Third is the low-class warriors who are underlings of Vegeta and underlings of his generals.” 

This went on for hours, until the computer said, “Nuclear energy reserves are failing. Since there is a Saiyan being detected nearby, I will give knowledge directly through biological neural link to said Saiyan.” 

Goku passed out. 

* * *

Goku awoke in his house. He had yet to complete his mission of eradicating all of the natives on this planet. His Earthling grandpa was hovering over him, asking in English if he was okay. He was about to blast him with Ki when he felt the light and remembered fully what had happened that day. He shook his head, dispelling his saiyan directive, and then nodded. 

“I was sent here to kill all life on this planet,” Goku said. “I will not do so.” 

“That is good that you will not follow through with your mission. I have known of it, when you learned to speak our language, you said so, in not so many words. I punished it out of you, and now you are old enough to deny it yourself.” 

Gohan smiled proudly at Goku, and lead him to his own bed, away from the couch on which he had awakened. 

“Now, my boy,” Gohan said, “you’ve had a long day, now I think you’ve earned a good full night’s rest.” 

Goku relaxed in his bed, stretched, and was soon asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have read the chapter before 11:15 AM Central time, please read it again, sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

chapters

# chapters

## Chapter Four

Morning stretched lazily across the sky. Light begrudgingly shown down upon the earth below, Winter giving way to Spring, but still watching from a short distance away. 

Goku woke much the same way. His sleep was peaceful; he didn’t want to leave such peace behind. But, his grade point average depended on him completing all of his high school courses, even though all that seemed so meaningless now. But, he woke, stretched, and prepared himself for school. He felt better about his power as well. Yes, the light was still there, shining brightly within him, but he felt that he would not hurt some one with it now. 

Thinking of the light, then, he paused in his routine, and had an idea to try to communicate with this Source of the light, the giver of the light, the Light himself. He wasn’t sure how exactly to approach such glory as a simple creation, like a clay pot approaching its potter. 

Goku knelt to the floor in the most secret place in the house he could find, the bathroom of course. He felt such a weight upon him, a mere pot, daring to speak to his maker, but he was emboldened because of the reassurance of the light within him. Even so, he fell completely to the ground, pressing himself as low as possible, and whispered to his maker, speaking of what he’d learned, of what he should have been, of what he hoped to be, and all of his doubts. 

The more Goku spoke, though, the louder his voice became, until it was strong and sure. He came to a kneeling position again, with his head held high, sure that the giver of light heard every word, noticed every thought. He was amazed, and thanked his creator, that He should be mindful of him, a mere insect compared to the might of the Light of the world. 

At the end of his words with the Light, he asked for guidance, because he didn’t know a thing of how to proceed. 

“Because you have given me this gift of your light, and the control of such power, I am sure that you will sculpt me, and events around me, to be as you wish it,” he said. 

He still hadn’t researched the tree or the light, but he figured that there would be time, or things would be revealed to him, as the Light had revealed things about Himself. Either way, he wasn’t too worried about anything right now. 

Invigorated by his communion with his master, Goku turned to leave the bathroom. He opened the door, only to find his Grandpa standing at the door. 

“I heard you speaking in there. Were you talking with your god of light?” Gohan didn’t look angry with Goku, more proud than anything. 

“Yes, Grandpa, I was. I feel much better now.” 

“That is good. Most religious people I’ve seen take hours to petition to their gods. You spoke plainly, of what I heard.” Gohan patted Goku on the back. “I will spread the word about this god of yours.” 

“No, Grandpa. Don’t spread the news like that. I must not try to show Him off in public like that.” 

Gohan looked confused, but nodded all the same. 

“If that is what your god requires, then I will not go against your beliefs.” 

“Thank you, Grandpa. I will ask that his light shine upon you.”Goku said, tears of gladness brimming in his eyes. 

“I do not know what that means, my boy. I am not sure that I could accept such a gift. I do not know this god, and am pretty happy serving the goddess of the sun. After all, what difference does it make what you serve? We will all bathe in light in the end, my boy.” 

Goku’s smile faded. He wasn’t sure how to tell his dear Grandpa of what he knew to be true, but he figured that until he did, he would drop the subject. 

“Better to not speak and have a chance at telling truth which the Light shines upon, rather than telling what I think, which may be close, but still a lie,” Goku thought. 

* * *

Goku walked down the same sidewalk as yesterday. He marveled at the change. He didn’t know if it was the world that changed, or just him, but everything looked, indeed, even felt better. The grass grew, the Earth spun around the sun that gave life, and the Light shown to guide the world into tranquility and truth. Other students shown as potential, and teachers he passed on the sidewalk to the school smiled radiantly at him. 

Yes, he was happy today. He knew that this wouldn’t last forever, but for now, he thought he’d enjoy it. He passed the large girl in the wheelchair, the boy following her. He said hello to the blind girl he’d almost ran into the day before, and she smiled in return. He even waved to the boy who had attacked him, but the boy just shrunk away from him. 

The morning grew dim the longer it stretched, at least to Goku. As the Earth turned Goku to face the sun more directly, Goku’s spirits were weighed down by the occupations of life. History class was boring as usual, devoid of feeling. English class was micromanaged, no creativity there. Math was full of pure logic, no art, no life it in. 

“But, the world that is filled with the light of my master works in a systematic way, doesn’t it?” Goku looked with more interest on the lesson in his textbook, and tried working through the logic and steps. He began to practice what was being taught, and soon could actually understand these systems of equations, and how they related to the much easier trinomials. He had an idea that, perhaps if he went back to his ship, he could gain even more advanced mathematical knowledge to aid his grades. 

When done with his work, he bent his head low and thanked his master for this understanding, then turned in the assignment given as homework. The class was given a good 15 minutes at the end of class to work on the assignments given in that class, so that homework could be a little less burdensome. 

Soon, the lunch bell rang, and Goku filed out of the room with all the other students, leaving for the cafeteria. The food was usually good. Not a meal his grandpa would cook, but at least a little filling. Sometimes he wondered why he felt like he needed to eat more than others, but he usually just dealt with being a little hungry. Now, though, he knew that Saiyans used more energy, so needed more food in per portion to the energy spent. Goku hadn’t used much extra energy during his life, so far. 

Today, though, he felt ravenous. He ate firsts, and seconds, and drank plenty of water. People around him stared at him for eating so much, and whispered among themselves about how fat he’d get, but Goku didn’t care. He knew that it was because of using the light that he was so hungry. He also figured that this wouldn’t be the biggest meal he’d eat during his life, either. 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. He walked home on that same sidewalk, with less joy than he’d come to school on it with, but he wasn’t upset, or angry, just normal now. He considered how he’d felt that morning, and tried to bring that back, but the extra brightness covering all that he could see just wouldn’t appear. 

He came to his house, took off his belt, laid his iPad on his desk, and went out to the woods, to train more. He felt that some quiet would do him good; he figured that the forest would bring him that peace. 

* * *

Goku walked into the forest. He spotted the old, steadfast tree, and surveyed it again. Again, he felt the goodness of such a reliable thing, a constant thing. 

“My master is reliable as well. His light touches everything,” Goku thought to himself. “My master is constant, he is like this tree, but even more perfect, since he never changes, and never disappears.” 

He walked further into the forest, a smile on his face as his thought of his master and that tree, and stopped in a clearing. There were few trees around, only shrubs and grasses. Birds flew overhead, and there were always flies to vex the human race. 

He gathered light around him, from his own body. It seemed to spread to the area around him, reaching out to claim the whole world and wash it clean, if only the world would accept its help. Goku paused for a moment, checking himself. He definitely wasn’t his master, he could not clean a single person, let alone the world. Goku sighed, and in frustration, wondered what he should use the light for. He sculpted a ball of light in one hand, and looked for a target. He spotted a small tree some ways away, and he snarled in anger at it, frustrated that he couldn’t do much with the light after all. Before he threw it, though, a directive struck him. 

“I give you this light so that you may bring light to those who need to see by, and to destroy the wolves who cover my sheep in the thickest of darkness.” 

Goku thought about this, the light dispersing from his hand, soaking back into his skin like the hot summer sun would. 

“The master has sheep?” Goku questioned. He thought of what he knew of sheep: the way the aimlessly eat any grass they find, no matter its quality, the way they have so much to fear and are paralyzed by it, and the need for a leader, a shepherd, and he fell to the ground and wept, soaking the grass in heavy tears. 

“All the people are your sheep, oh Light of this world,” Goku wept. “And there are those who would lead them to slaughter?” 

“If they would hear me, and see my Light, I would have no greater joy than to lead them to peaceful waters, and fearless rest,” Goku understood. 

Goku’s tears became tears of sadness and rage, as he thought of the people who are covered in darkness, who are lead by the sweet, melodious, howling voices of wolves to their deaths. 

“I will, master,” Goku said, wiping away his tears, “do as you ask. The sheep will be brought to you, and the wolves slaughtered as they would slaughter your sheep.” 

Goku knelt in the grass a while, digesting all this. How could he defeat wolves? He knew, of course, that these weren’t literal wolves, but dangerous, sentient beings that would drag people who are not covered in light to complete darkness and despair. Their voices are sweet, their words convincing, but the end is death. 

Goku stood, a grim expression on his face. 

“I’ll have to get strong in order to Cary all this out. May the Light guide me,” he thought. 

Goku practiced with the light, trying to progress as quickly as possible. He quickly was tired, thought, and decided to try quality over quantity. First, though, he needed to rest a while. 

* * *

Goku talked to his Grandpa about his training, and Gohan smiled. 

“That’s what I did the first few weeks. You’ve learned faster than I did, though.” Gohan said. 

“So, how can I learn in a better way?” Goku asked. 

“I’ve taught you all that I know. There is, however, the martial arts tournament coming up. Perhaps you can learn from battling some of the world’s greatest, to get a better idea of how real battle worlds?” 

Goku thought about that idea. He wasn’t ready for a tournament, or course, but just trying out his power in good, fair fights could prepare him quickly. 

“It will be painful, and you will loose,” his grandpa said. “But you will learn much, I promise you.” 

Goku smiled, and nodded to his grandpa. 

“I’ll go and do it, then. I’ll try my best, I promise.” 

Gohan Smiled. “I do not expect less than your best, my boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. I'm so glad to be able to bring all this to you. The more I write, the more I am sure of this work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been way too long. I'll try to do better. I have two chapters for you tonight, though. :)

Chapter 5

# Chapter 5

Goku trained hard before the tournament. He could now bathe the horizon in light. He wept at its beauty the first time he did it. He could float inches across the ground, and used that to “fly” home one day, to the delight of his grandpa. He could now feel the energy of others, feeling their light, or lack there of. 

Goku knew, though, that it was not enough, and he smiled at that too. The ship had said that Saiyans loved battle, and he had indeed loved playing fighting video games, but now he was a warrior himself, and his veins sang with the knowledge. So it was with that knowledge that he held his head high on entering the tournament stadium that day. 

Goku looked around himself, at the spectators, at the staff members, at the warriors. The area was alive with energy, but most had no light to it. It was like electricity compared to living cells. Only few spectators and staff, and fewer warriors, were enveloped in joyous light. Even the strongest of warriors’ energy was simply a very large, but dead tool. 

Goku signed in at the receptionist’s desk, and went to a ticket booth. The young woman manning the booth was pretty enough, but looked bored. She kept fidgeting with her iPhone, checking her screen for something. She absentmindedly gave Goku a ticket with a number on it. 

“Whoever has a number directly above yours is who you’ll fight. If you’re the highest, it’s you against the one directly below you, or something. Shoot, I don’t know. They don’t _pay_ me enough to know. And you’re a man, you’ll forget in thirty seconds anyway.” she mumbled. 

Goku smiled at her, and walked to a line of warriors. He looked at each one of them: a tall man standing back in the shadows, an old fat man who could have had muscle at one time, an Eastern man wearing ragged clothes, but with much determination in his eyes, a muscular short teenager who looked Japanese to him, and a woman who didn’t seem to have modesty in her vocabulary. 

Goku quickly looked away from this last one, figuring that she was just a joke from some rival tournament or whatever went on nowadays. He quickly stood tall as the announcer, a nondescript short man walked into the ring with a microphone. 

“Ladies and gentleman of the world,” the announcer bellowed, “Welcome to the 23rd Budokai tournament. Sponsored by Japan where it gets its name, we strive to show you all of the best fighters Earth has to offer!” 

Even Goku was swept up in the applause, clapping for the other fighters and himself. 

“First up, we have two newcomers that just so happened to get lucky enough to show their strength first! We have Goku from the Western US an unknown combatant. And from China, we have the greatest assassin, now gracing our tournament, Tao! Will the US fighter win against one of the greatest global threats to his homeland?” 

Goku chuckled at that. He felt that the only threat to the US is the people in power within it, dividing it into many ideologies. But that was an unpopular opinion, especially at such a global event, so he kept it to himself. 

“Now, fighters, are you ready?” 

The man in shadows stepped out into the light. He was tall, around 5 feet and 10 inches by Goku’s estimate. He had small, beady eyes, and wore a long coat with some Japanese symbol on it. Even without knowing the symbol, Goku felt much of the dead energy from him, and also darkness. He’d never felt so much of this darkness. It was the absence of his master’s light. It was the rejection of love in exchange for something that Tao obviously enjoyed more. The announcer said he was an assassin; that must be the maturing evil from such acts. 

Goku decided to not hold back on this man. Tao was one of the wolves of which his master spoke. Goku nodded to the announcer, and so did Tao. 

“Then step into the ring here,” the announcer said, pointing to the raised platform. Goku and Tao stepped into the ring, each fighter at opposite ends of the ring. 

“Now, begin!” the announcer bellowed. 

Goku ran towards Tao, and threw a punch towards him, which struck the assassin’s chest. Tao had stepped a few paces away from the edge of the ring, Goku noticed, so that when he stumbled back, he didn’t fall out. 

Tao smirked down at Goku, malice in his beady eyes. 

“You’re strong, for a new fighter. Oh don’t be shocked that I know that you’re new at this, your punch could have been more accurate. But you will not overcome my strength.” 

Tao stood up straight, and yelled out as if in pain. A light, like that from his father and Friezer, convalesced around him. Goku gasped in shock. 

“Surely my master would not aid such a wolf as this,” Goku thought. 

He looked closer at the light, and noticed that, as is his ambient energy, Tao’s light was nothing more than a dead and rotting thing. It echoed Tao’s own life, filled with the hunger for killing and bringing fear to what he must feel are the stupid sheep of the world. 

“Yes,” Goku thought, “Tao must be brought down from the sky in which he perches.” 

“Your power is dead,” Goku said simply, and brought out his own light, letting it peacefully settle around him. 

“What do you mean that my power is dead, boy?” Tao sneered. “It’s the same as yours, and mine is more plentiful, I might add.” 

“He can’t see it,” Goku thought. “The Light hides His face from Tao. This is what my Grandpa must know, that eventually, the light turns away in sadness that one whom he cares the world about, would ignore him and turn his face from his creator. But what would cause that?” 

“You cannot feel it, Tao, but less is more. The time of wrath against you has come,” Goku said, sadness clouding his vision of the assassin. 

Goku knew that Tao could have been a great leader, but he fell into despair, and must be put down. He also knew that he could not kill this wolf in the tournament, and was glad that he would not be the one to give the killing blow. He could only hope that, when Tao ran away, police would find him. 

Tears rolling down his face, Goku floated from the ring floor, many in the audience gasping in shock. Goku didn’t pay them any mind, and shot towards Tao, who put up an arm to block him. 

Goku sent a thin beam of energy towards Tao. While the assassin focused on that, Goku’s head crashed against Tao’s guard, and Tao fell to the ground, cradling his arm. The announcer peered down from his seat high above the ring in a caged observation seat, and opened his mouth to begin a knockout count to see if Tao would get up before ‘ten.’ 

“One!” The announcer shouted. 

Tao stirred from the ground, sitting up, still cradling his arm. Goku was developing a headache, so he tried to bring the light to his head to massage the pain away. When Goku looked around a second time, Tao was on his feet again. 

Tao glared at Goku, and before Goku could react, had sent a ray of his own dead light to burn Goku. Goku tried to block, but the ray was small and shot through his guard, burning as it struck his face. The skin on his cheek sizzled and melted, showing muscle and bone. A tear fell into the wound and sizzled there as well, making pain too short of a word to describe such an overwhelming feeling. 

Goku almost gave up then, and knelt down to surrender, but then his own light began to heal the wound. Tao watched in aw along with the crowd as his face became like new, and shined with the radiance of the Light. 

* * *

Tao was a killer, and a good one at that. He’d been hired to kill anything from a cheating husband or wife, to a government official. In all his time alive, made much longer by his use of Ki, and any secret government experimental stuff he could steel, he’d given his service to the good and bad. He honestly didn’t care, as long as he could kill the weak. 

Joining this tournament, he thought he would find those worthy of killing him. Life had gotten boring lately. Everyone he probably could kill were dead. Even Master Roshi, his teacher’s rival, was hiding like a coward somewhere. He didn’t actively want to die, he just didn’t care. If some one managed to do it, then cool, may they carry on his legacy. But, most of all, he wanted a good fight, with something other than whimpering, bleating sheep, for a change. If the fighter were good enough, Tao might have even considered hiring them as an assistant assassin. 

However, this Goku had just broken his arm, and it hurt like nothing he’d felt in the last 4 decades, ever sense the war with that so-called demon king and his army of freaks. On top of that, Goku had healed a wound that Tao himself had given him. Tao didn’t usually lose control of his feelings so much while on a job, but he wasn’t on a job after all, so he let rage take control. Why not? 

* * *

Goku had turned away from Tao, looking at the announcer for guidance. The announcer took a quick breath and had his mouth open for some reason, but Goku then felt why. Tao had rammed into Goku with force that could fell a tree. Goku didn’t really feel it, though. 

“The Light is my shield,” he thought. 

Tao then grabbed his own shattered arm, and screaming with pain and rage and anger and despair, began to whip Goku across the face with it. 

Goku gaped in horror. Tao’s face was tight with both agony and rage, yet his eyes glinted with lust, lust for even more torment. The arm didn’t hurt as it struck him across the mouth, then the chin, then the forehead, because it was still wrapped in Tao’s own coat. Goku was too focused on the man’s eyes, dim of understanding, fading to madness with this one spark of pain in so long. Soon, the arm ripped from its socket, and out of the coat sleeve. Goku heard the ripping sound it made, along with Tao’s even louder, more animal scream. Tao was about to grab it up like a weapon, when Goku struck again. 

“Enough, Tao,” Goku said quietly, contrary to Tao’s howells. 

Goku stood tall, brought up both fists, and crashed them down on Tao’s head. The man, arm in hand, crumpled to the ground. Goku stepped back, turning away from him quickly in case he’d killed the man. He didn’t want to see that. 

“KO!” the announcer shouted. 

Goku walked confidently out of the ring, feeling better that he’d not killed the man. 

“And the winner is: Goku!” the announcer shouted, throwing his hands in the air and waving to Goku. 

Goku was surprised, but kept that feeling in check, knowing that quite a few opponents were still to be fought. Some in the crowd weren’t happy with how quick the match was, nor were they happy with how few fighters came to the tournament, but they’d stay and watch anyway. 

Goku looked around at the other fighters.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

# Chapter 6

The sounds of cheering filled the fighting arena where Goku stood, face upturned, eyes closed, thanking the Light for his victory over the evil. He’d wondered how an assassin could even show his face in the tournament, but then he remembered briefly skimming a sign about the tournament being a neutral zone, not under any jurisdiction of any governments and no judgment and all that. Goku thought it was a bad idea, but he didn’t make the rules. 

Goku stood back as a young Asian man fought a muscular woman with bright red hair, then a man with a metal prosthetic arm fought an old, Asian man, and lost. Then, curtains were drawn over the ring as a beautiful woman wearing revealing clothes fought a man with cat whiskers. 

The curtains were pulled back moments later, with the woman out cold with a table cloth covering her lower body, and the next round of the tournament began. Goku stood beside the young Asian man, who was looking nervously around at everyone except Goku, trying to figure out who he would fight next. 

“Now, starting the next round of the tournament,” the announcer yelled into his microphone. “Goku will be fighting Krillin, a student of the great Master Roshi!” 

Goku looked at the young man, who was much shorter than he’d expect a martial artist to be. When Krillin looked at Goku, though, his nervousness turned to arrogant disdain. 

“You think you have a chance at moving on to the next round with that power? It’s so much beneath mine” Krillin smirked. 

“My power comes from the Light,” Goku said simply. Krillin laughed. 

“Americans: always missing the mark of Ki. No matter what religion you attach it to, it’s still Ki.” 

“No. It is not Ki, I have felt that before. Ki is dead, where the Light lives. The Light shines in the darkness,” Goku said, smiling radiantly. 

Krillin laughed again. “We’ll just have to see, then, Goku.” 

They stepped into the ring, both confident in their victory over the other. The announcer grabbed the microphone, looking down at the two fighters. 

“Ready!” Goku lifted his face; he bathed in the lights of the stadium. 

“Set!” Krillin stretched one last time, and faced Goku. 

“begin!” 

Goku let Krillin move first. He was quick, but Goku caught a punch just in time to save his stomach from a winding impact. Krilling attempted to kick Goku then, but Goku released Krillin’s hand and stepped aside, and grabbed Krillin’s leg, using it to force the monk to the ground. 

Goku then tried to call on the Light, as he had in the last battle. There was nothing. Goku felt Krillin punch him in the chest, but stood motionless. He looked up at the lights, but found no reply coming to him. On an idea, Goku held up his hand to pause fighting. 

“Krillin, what do you serve?” 

“What? I don’t serve anything. I just train with Master Roshi.” 

“What do you hope to do with your skill when you finish training?” 

Krillin thought for a minute, then replied. “I hope to do anything I can to get stronger so I can protect the people that matter to me.” 

“Goku sighed in relief. “Then, the Light has not abandoned me, he has given me the opportunity to have fun fighting!” 

“What?” Krillin didn’t expect this at all. But before he could do anything, Goku was upon him. 

* * *

Krillin was a simple young man, he knew. He hardly thought about the gods, or of the spirits, or anything that he couldn’t see. He just wanted to get stronger and protect and fight. Goku, though, was beyond him in some way. He saw how Goku had looked up at the lights in the ceiling, saw his face, the trust he has for something unknown to Krillin. 

“What does he have such high regard for?” Krillin thought. “It’s almost like he’s a priest, calling on a god. Not any I know, but one who can actually help. One who is actually there. But I see no one. So, he must simply be crazy.” 

* * *

Goku thought that Krillin must not be focusing on the match. He looked sad, as if something he wanted just isn’t there. As if the Light had left Krillin for a moment, instead of himself, even though the Light didn’t actually leave. He could still feel the Light, joyful at his joy, loving his happiness. 

“Krillin!” Goku yelled. The young monk jumped, startled. “Pay attention to the match. You’re losing, man. What’s wrong?” 

“What is the… the Light?” Goku heard the crack in Krillin’s voice as he said ‘the Light.’ 

Goku thought about this for a moment. “He made everything. He will one day make everything right.” 

“Oh, like Heaven?” Krillin said sarcastically. 

“No, more like, make Earth good again.” 

“Why can’t he do that now!” Krillin looked shocked, but angry, and sad all at once. Goku held out a hand to him, his face twisted in emotion as well. 

“I… I don’t know. There must be something he’s waiting for. Or people. Maybe he’s waiting for me to do something. I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to him about it.” 

Krillin’s face fell. “You don’t know. You don’t know anything more than Roshi who talks about Amaterasu.” 

“I do, I just don’t know everything yet. No one except the Light can know everything.” 

“Well you talk to him don’t you? You talk to this god in your head?” Krillin was shouting now, tears falling from his eyes. 

“He’s… not in my head, Krillin. He’s everywhere. Look up and see the Light!” Goku sobbed then, for his new friend, for the world who couldn’t see, for the Light who only wished to shine upon the world, but the world couldn’t except Him. 

“Let’s just finish this then, you bringer of Light that I cannot see!” Krillin yelled. 

They both rushed at one another. Their fighting was fierce, both still crying out for the Light, still reaching for him who brings light. 

With a last cry, Krillin used all his strength to pin Goku to the hard arena ground. 

“How could you give me hope!” Krillin cried. Goku could feel his tears raining upon his face. 

“Because, krillin, hope is what the world needs. Hope is real.” 

Krillin pinned Goku harder, kneeing him in the side. 

“Shut up Goku! Just shut up with the Light! I don’t want it!” 

“Why not?” Goku asked. 

“Because it’s false hope. Don’t you see? It makes you think something better will happen when it won’t!” 

Goku considered this, but he looked passed Krillin’s face, seeing the lights, and smiled. 

“As long as there is light, there the Light will be. Even underground, men will bring lights, even in the ocean, creatures make their own light. There he’ll be. Even in space, that’s where the stars shine brightest.” 

Goku pushed Krillin away and stood up. The announcer had just reached “Seven” in counting, Goku realized. 

“That was close,” he thought. 

He walked towards Krillin, and calmly lifted the monk onto his shoulders. Krillin sighed, limply struggling, as Goku set him down outside of the arena. 

* * *

Krillin didn’t care anymore. He was done trying to win, trying to do well, trying to please. He knew in his bones that Goku was right. That no matter where he was, the Light would see. The Light would judge him unworthy, the Light would find him disgusting. But what had he done to look disgusting? He’d trained, he’d done good for the world. But he still knew. Why wasn’t the question yet, more like how to make things right. 

“Goku!” he shouted. One last chance. “How can I gain the favor of the Light.” 

“Ask Him,” Goku replied, smiling down at Krillin. 

Krillin walked away then; he walked away with a purpose now. He came to the tournament’s cafeteria, and knelt down beside an empty chair. He figured that, at least, religion got the kneeling thing right. 

“Light,” he spoke to the empty room. “Please, show me the way that I must live. I know deep within that if I don’t follow the Light, I will forever live in darkness. Please, I must follow you.” 

In the silence, he thought for the first time about deep things, important things. He tried to remember what he’d learned about religions, when Roshi had taught him things. What was this from? Who is the Light? 

He suddenly remembered Goku’s words before they fought. “Light shines in the darkness.” 

“And the darkness cannot extinguish it.” 

He ran back to Goku. “And the darkness cannot extinguish it!” he said, breathlessly, beaming up at the light, which also seemed to be surrounding him. 

“This is right, Krillin. This is very good. The Light has heard your cries!” 

The crowd cheered as they embraced, the Light seeming to bathe all those in attendance with goodness and grace. 

Krillin looked at Goku. “But why? Why does He show us things one piece at a time?” 

“Maybe the world already knows. That’s what I suspect. But they don’t believe. The world has not accepted the Light. So, one day, he will come and set it right himself.” 

“Then,” Krillin sighed, a heavy weight seeming to lift from him. “I will wait until then.” 

“Oh, we don’t have to wait. He has given us our own light, to spread and defeat evil with.” 

Krillin grinned. “He knows what I want, then.” 

Goku smiled back. “even before you were born, He knew.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

# Chapter 7

Saku sat among her classmates, listening to the tournament. One of her friends, Sky, sat near her, whispering every once in a while what she thought were the highlights of the event. Mainly, Sky seemed to prioritize the use of Facebook on her phone; Saku could recognize those pops and whirs from anywhere. 

“Oh,” Sky exclaimed, probably looking up from her phone, “Goku or whatever is about to face that guy from India. Name I think is how you say it?” 

She then began mumbling about names being hard to pronounce. Never mind that Saku’s name was simply two syllables, and Sky still took half a second to say it, slowly, but Saku tried not to be angry with her friend. She found it odd, though, that Sky could pronounce Nintendo properly, but not Saku. 

Sky was a tall, skinny girl, with long hair and a cheerful voice. Saku thought that Sky could be rather shallow at times, but not everyone could dive deeply into a topic like Saku sometimes did. Still, she wished that she could speak with others at her school about the things she learned. 

Saku awakened her phone, which was still in her pocket, and placed her hands on her Braille display. The device made some barely-audible clicks, as pens adjusted to form raised dots which she read. Using the controls on the display, she navigated to the tournament app, and read the current lineup. 

“Does it look like Nam will win?” she asked Sky. 

“Yes,” Sky said, “he looks a lot stronger than Goku. Sorry, I know you like him.” 

Saku did not respond to this. She had spoken to Goku only a few times after she had almost ran him over, and while he seemed like a really nice and humble guy, she got the sense that he was the isolating, holy type that would drag her into meaningless religion. It wasn’t that she was the party type, she simply didn’t care about God, unlike her father who named her. She wouldn’t be limited by some kid who could obviously afford to not pirate, to not emulate older games, to keep her special screen reading software up-to-date, and not even counting the music. She calmed herself, and simply listened to the world around her, driving away the thoughts of how unfair it all is, of Goku, of how these friends of God could smile in the face of such absolute shadow. 

She heard the sounds of battle coming from the surround sound speakers in the auditorium of the high school. She heard other students giggling, talking about the usual topics, only a few discussing the tournament. 

“Nam. Why do you fight?” Goku asked. 

Saku laughed. She couldn’t help it; what was Goku getting at? Everyone fights for a good set of reasons: money, fame, or glory. 

“My village is thirsty. I’ll win to make enough money to bring water to my village.” 

Saku smiled to herself. That was a good goal, as good as any. 

“Then, if I win, I’ll give you three fourths of my winnings,” Goku said confidently. 

Saku laughed even harder. “What?” she exclaimed. 

“Hey, shut up, blind kid. We’re trying to watch the game,” a student said. 

She steeled her emotions. She had to learn to do that better. She made her face blank, relaxed her eyes, and was silent. She didn’t feel like arguing with normal people today. 

“Truly, Goku? why would you give this to me?” 

“Yes, Nam. After all, it comes from the Light, which shines upon all who will accept it.” 

Saku had never heard of this Light, but it sounded like the preaching of some guy 2000 years ago. What was his name? 

“I am sorry,” Nam said, “I do not know the Light. I have my own gods that I follow, and they have answered my pleas.” 

“The Light is the only one who sustains us. But, there is another,” Goku said. 

“Darkness?” Nam asked. 

“Not really. More like the master of wolves. Like that assassin. He was…” 

“Insane,” Nam finished. 

“Yes, insane. But, there is one much higher than Tao, who works these insane people like puppets.” 

“Yes, this is something that feels right to me. Thank you, young man, for this knowledge. I will take it to my village. We will find even the master of wolves a place in our tales.” 

Saku thought on this. Goku did not believe in a duopoly of powers in his religion. There was the Light, all powerful and, she supposed, all good, like the God her father talked about. But then, what was the master of wolves? Satan, she’d been raised to believe, was the ruler of Hell, which is the place all nonconformists go to celebrate when they die. At least, that’s the impression she got from movies, and even her family. Heaven was just this place where you’re no more than a ghost, and you have this harp you play as you sing praise to God forever, because spirits have hands somehow. 

“Jesus!” 

Saku was startled by a loud explosion. Students who had been talking about the latest Halo game moments earlier, were now quiet. Sky had just begun talking. 

“…really strong kick, and now Goku is out for the count! Between you and me, I wish my boyfriend were that strong.” 

The announcer began to count to ten. Saku smiled, realizing that Nam would now get all of the money, in order to keep his village alive, and not just whatever Goku decided out of the goodness of his heart to give. 

“Four!” 

“What are you grinning about, Saku?” Sky asked. 

“Oh, nothing,” Saku said, forcing the smile from her face. 

“Eight!” 

“Nine!” 

“te…” 

Saku wanted to perform the natural instinct of looking surprised. But she dismissed it. She didn’t want any more questions from Sky. She hated being questioned, being judged, being seen even. So, she listened. 

“Look y’all, Goku got up!” 

“Yeah, that’s my guy, get 'em Goku!” 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Goku has gotten up! He’s still on his feet!” 

Saku was both impressed, and a little annoyed that Goku had beaten the natural odds of things, yet again. First was that assassin, which she heard plenty about from Sky describing how Goku had beaten him easily. Then Krillin, who seemed to become friends with him after Goku had talked about the Light and how he’s always watching, like some cosmic Santa Clause. 

Students gasped suddenly, shocking Saku once again from her thoughts. 

“God that’s bright,” one said. “What the heck is that?” 

Saku felt something too. Like a sort of brightening of her mind. Her thoughts felt clearer, more defined, more real, more good. Then it went away, but she grasped onto that feeling. 

“Now it’s my turn, Nam. I’ll show you the power of the Light.” 

“What?” one student exclaimed, “Why’d they turn the cameras away?” 

“It must have gotten brighter,” another said. “Goku is sure good with the light tricks.” 

Saku felt something more, and it wasn’t a trick. All seemed right to her. She remembered the evil one’s name, Satan, the accuser. She remembered the name of that carpenter who, 2000 years ago, visited his creation, taught those who would listen the way to eternal life through giving and deep love for others, and was killed by those who thought they had it all figured out, and brought himself back from the dead three days later. His name back then was something like Yeshua, but now, in English, is Jesus. 

Saku shook her head slightly. She didn’t want to arouse questioning, but these thoughts were not normal for her. They must be memories or some such. She tried to listen to her surroundings more. 

“So, how did Goku win again?” 

“I don’t know. Oh, there’s the announcer.” 

“Phew. I had to wear goggles for that one. But, the game is set. Goku used an energy attack to force Nam out of the ring, and onto the ground, thereafter Nam’s wounds have healed by the same move. Goku, what do you have to say for yourself? You’ve won all battles you’ve faced so far.” 

“I dedicate this battle to my classmates. You all have helped me with school work that I doubt even our president could do, so now I’m gonna try and win us some money! I especially thank Saku, for being a good friend to me.” 

Saku gasped in shock. She was sure all eyes were on her, probably baring deep into her soul, seeing all of her flaws. she breathed slowly, deeply, trying to stay in control. 

“She was the first person that I consciously helped in my new trust in the Light which guides me. So now, I feel confident that I can, in good faith, give three fourths of my winnings from this tournament to Nam, in order to save his village from the drought that befalls it.” 

“Well, there you have it, folks. Goku is giving away most of his money he gets from this tournament to a man in need. There should be more people in the world like you, Goku.” 

Saku couldn’t keep her mind from it any longer. “There should be more people like you, Goku…” She let her mind snap back to the Light which now seemed to crowd around her. She could almost feel the warmth on her face, could almost hear the clashing of blades all around her. She realized that that, too, isn’t normal, but then remembered that God had his angels, and Satan his demons. She let herself smile a little. Of course they would fight for my soul. While I dug deep into science and technology and from socialism to communism, they fought for me, He fought for me, and I did not listen. I did not remember. 

It had been a long time sense Saku cried. She was as quiet as possible, and hid her face in her arms, lest she be noticed, lest she be questioned, lest she be judged. And right now, she _could not_ be judged. Her mind and heart lay open to the Light, being warmed, cleaned, made good, purged of the shadows. 

* * *

Shadows were cast onto the walls of the viewing room, where two men sat. One was dressed in military attire, the other in simple, civilian clothes of current fashion, covered by a lab coat. Both looked at a wall-mounted flat screen which filled the entire wall. On the screen, the tournament was taking place. Goku had just won his match with Nam, and had pledged to give most of his money to the villager. One man stood, surveyed the room for any recording devices, made sure the door was locked, then sat facing the other. 

“What do you think, Martin? Will this Goku be a threat?” the scientist asked, turning his chair to face the military officer. 

“I don’t know. Frank, do you know what religion he says he follows? I haven’t heard of a light god, unless he means Amaterasu.” 

“It sounds a bit like Christianity, but not the kind that we’ve had our folks in the news, Hollywood, book publishers and such train the people on.” 

“So, why not just let him be, Frank? He’s not going to go to war or demand our… early retirement.” 

“Because, Martin, these kids start movements, and we don’t know what kind of movement this “Christian” will start.” It has been proven that when these movements of “liberation” start, they grow out of control quickly, with no way of stopping it. 

“I disagree. After all, isn’t this a free country, a part of the free world?” 

“Oh Martin, we are the rulers of the free world, you and I. A country can have two heads, civilian and military, but cannot be divided.” 

“Since when was it a crime to disagree?” 

* * *

Saku delighted in her newly found freedom. She still could not see, although she was free from being weighed down by that fact. Sky was still there, but she felt sad that her friend could not see the Light with her working eyes. She listened with new interest to her vibrant world. 

“We interrupt the tournament now to bring some news for citizens of the United States. The president of military affairs has died suddenly in his sleep. So, there will be an election to find another who can take his place. That is all. 

Saku sighed, thinking of all the wars her country had been in. 

“Do we need a president of military affairs? At one time, we only had one president. But, then the world divided, becoming one of progress and one of conservatism and protection from progressing too far. What now?” 

Saku was brought out of her thoughts by the tournament announcer. 

“Now we move onto the final round: Goku verses Master Roshi! Can our fine upstart warrior defeat the master of the turtle martial arts school himself?” 

“No,” one kid exclaimed. 

“What I want to know,” another student shouted at the TV, “is how a religious bigot like Goku got into the final round in the first place. Like, some one should stop him!” 

“Yeah,” another said, more quietly, “why hasn’t anyone stopped him? It’s not like he’s the most powerful. That assassin had killed thousands of people, even strong ones. What’s so special about Goku?” 

“I mean,” said a guy with a deep, matter-of-fact tone of voice, “We know Goku. He’s a Japanese American who just recently got religious. Besides the kid who says Goku broke, then unbroke his arm, Goku is nothing special.” 

Saku felt giddy with the truth. They are correct that Goku has done nothing to gain the power that he has, but there is everything special about the one who gives Goku that power. She relaxed in the thought that no one could stop the plans of the King. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for the final battle of this year’s tournament. We’ll see if new blood can win against an established champion!” 

“Okay Saku, Goku and Roshi are getting into the ring,” Sky whispered. 

Saku wondered what Roshi looked like, but no audio descriptive services described appearances, so she couln’t expect Sky, just her friend, to do that either. Saku couldn’t even visualize the ring, as no one had described that either. She decided, though, to focus on what she did know, and be happy in the knowledge that Goku would most likely win. 

The sounds of battle crashed through the surround sound system. Saku heard grunts from both fighters, Goku’s youthful cries of determination, Roshi’s wizened yells of exertion. 

“Roshi looks like he’s winning,” Sky whispered. “I mean, I’m not a kung-Fu kind of gal, but, you know.” 

Saku laughed, startling Sky. “I know, I wasn’t tought to fight by my dad either.” 

“Roshi, you fight well. You might even defeat me.” 

Saku’s heart sunk. She was counting on Goku to win. Why would he give up like this? 

“You fight well too. But you could use some training!” 

“Well, I have to finish high…” 

“I think Master Roshi just knocked Goku out,” Sky said. “Well, that’s sad.” 

“And Goku is down for the count,” the announcer shouted excitedly. 

“One! Two!” 

“Yeah, that’ll teach the bigot to mess with a master,” a student shouted. 

“I knew he wasn’t special. Just like us,” another said. 

“Five! Six,” the announcer continued. 

“Surely he’ll get up. God, please let him get up,” she prayed. 

“Eight, nine” the announcer yelled. 

“And he’s up! Ladies and gentlemen, Goku has gotten back up! And he’s holding an energy attack in his hands!” 

“Goku, I felt you gather that energy.” 

“I will let you win, Master Roshi, under two conditions.” 

“What is he doing,” Saku shouted. 

“He’s giving up, blind kid, shout up and let us listen to what the high and mighty Goku is saying,” another student jeered. 

“Why not try attacking me with that, Goku” Roshi sounded just as shocked as Saku. 

“Because I know I need more training. My Grandpa can only teach me so much. You have techniques, like the one that put me down for the count, that I could learn from.” 

“Alright, what are your conditions?” 

“First, give Nam three fourths of the prize money.” 

“Eh, how much is the prize money nowadays?” 

“It’s ten million…” 

“Pizza points,” a chubby student shouted. Saku never wanted to run into his large belly again. 

Many people laughed at this, while she giggled and cringed at the same time. 

“Oh, do you want to be on my plate as well?” she remembered his words, and to this day couldn’t figure out if he was joking or not. 

“…second condition is that you train me, but also give me time to complete my school work. I’m sure assignments can be sent to your address, or a place nearby, and the classes can be recorded.” 

“That is acceptable, but this means you’ll have to work much harder at training than before.” 

“I can handle that, I’m sure.” 

“Hey, the exit isn’t that way,” Sky said. “They’re leaving, but going the wrong way..” 

* * *

“Hey, we’re going the wrong way,” Goku said. 

“I know. There are military after us.” 

“This is supposed to be a safe zone right?” 

“Yeah, but apparently they’re after you, not just Tao. I know because I heard one say that they’d already gotten Tao half an hour ago.” 

“What would they want me for?” 

“Probably that ‘light’ stuff you were spouting on about. Religion is good, Goku, but only if it doesn’t change your life. You must remember that in this age.” 

“Do you serve the Light, Master?” 

“No. I serve myself and my students. I will not serve a thing I cannot see.” 

Goku grew quiet. He’d have to make sure to learn to fight from this master, without taking on his philosophy. 

“Now, follow me. I’ll fly to my island. Oh, I guess we should leave an address for the school. I’ll do that.” 

Goku looked around. He was in a forest, with trees all around him. He stood in the shade of an old, tall tree. Birds chirped, bugs scuttled along branches, and life lived on, unburdened by the troubles of humanity. 

“I’m back. You will have to fly at night to get your school work, and fly back using different paths each time. Do you know how to sense energy?” 

“Yes, I can sense life if I try.” 

“We’ll have to work on getting you able to sense things without trying. You must always be aware of your surroundings, so that nothing can sneak up on you.” 

“You’re right. Thanks again for training me, Master.” 

“I do this for the good of the world, so that when I die, others can take my place. Now, are you ready to fly more?” 

Goku nodded, and they flew off, the wind from their passing rustling the leaves as they flew on into the setting sun. 


End file.
